TEEX to host statewide disaster canine training

Thirty search and rescue canine teams and 10 additional handlers will take part in the Texas Engineering Extension Service’s Disaster Canine Workshop on Sunday, Dec. 5, at Disaster City.

The daylong workshop will provide basic disaster canine training for search and rescue teams representing jurisdictions from throughout Texas. Training activities for the canines will include bark alert and reward system, agility, directionals and search operations using one of Disaster City’s rubble piles. The handlers will also undergo a swiftwater rescue awareness module as part of the course.

TEEX hosts the open enrollment Disaster Canine Workshop three times each year. The training is intended for local canine search and rescue teams, which are generally the first to respond to a disaster incident.

In January, TEEX will host the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Advanced National Disaster Canine Evaluation at Disaster City – the first of its kind to be held in Texas. TEEX serves as the sponsoring agency for Texas Task Force 1, one of 28 national urban search and rescue teams under FEMA. The Task Force currently includes nine canine teams, with two additional canines in training.